


Correspondence File: Yao, Ling  (Emperor of Xing, 1918-)

by Megkips



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Epistolary, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-10-17
Packaged: 2018-04-26 19:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5017693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megkips/pseuds/Megkips
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ling becomes emperor, with support from in and outside of Xing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Correspondence File: Yao, Ling  (Emperor of Xing, 1918-)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Etnoe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Etnoe/gifts).



> Happy Halloween from your writer again, Sout! When I saw your prompt for Mei’s family helping Ling take the throne, I started to write this, and then looked at the prompt again and worried that it might have gotten much too serious for your liking. The idea of Mei’s family being instrumental with helping Ling take the throne stuck with me though, and I hope that this is at least an acceptable bonus fic along with your main gift. I tried to do my very best to ensure that your treat prompts never crossed into tricks, and I hope that my attempts to raise the stakes and give Ling obstacles to the crown didn't obscure those two.

8 March, 1915

This reply is deeply late, and it wasn’t my intention to put off writing this letter. It was kind of you to check in, although the fact that the clans are in chaos is something being talked about by your government isn’t good news to me by any stretch of the imagination. I also can’t say that their perspective is too much of a surprise to me either. It’s really too easy to look at Xing from the outside and see us as a foreign group fighting over archaic rules for dominance. At any rate, if my written Amestrian is badly phrased or hard to parse, I apologise. Speaking it is much easier.

Let me answer your last question first: traveling the desert is more exhausting than I think you can imagine. The biggest issue is the sand storms, more than any of the animals that come out at night. And don’t mistake me - they only come out at night, when it is cool and the animals that are considered food by desert predators are more easily disguised.

Now, as for the rest. It is true enough that upon my return, my clan was overjoyed whereas a number of the others saw my return and success as a threat to their children taking the throne. Honestly, I think they expected me to die on a truly insane quest, so me returning to Xing _successful_ has proven to be a pretty rude surprise. The only exception to the reaction has been Mei’s clan, who are mostly glad that she’s home and that we walked into Xing together - if not united, then at least on good terms. I believe they’re taking it as a signal that favorable relations can continue, and they should take advantage of that fact, especially if I succeed my father.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. For the first month of being home, none of the other clans dared to approach me save for Mei’s. That suited me just fine, as it gave me a full thirty days to start to learn where the various clans stood. In my absence, the emperor had continued to grow old, and five clans began to put forth their potential successors - the Guo, the Zhao, the Wu, the Jiang, and the Shen.

As an aside, and for your future reference, as I’m certain you’ll need it if you get as far as you expect to one day, you’ll need to know each of these families and their roles in Xing. The Guo are a clan of great prominence in politics, and many of their family members make up the emperor’s current cabinet. The same goes for the Wu clan, although they also have good farms in the south of the country. The Zhao have distinguished themselves both in age and in military prowess rather than in the political arena, and anyone who is to become emperor must have their full support in ascending the throne. The Jiang have a lot of land in the east and northeast, and the Shen are more known for _knowing_ everyone of importance, while the rest of the clans fill smaller niches. It’s not quite labyrinthine, but it is a balancing act.

Returning to the narrative: that first month passed, and in all of that, the Chan began to consider that they might start to improve their public profile and enrich themselves by starting to create groups of healers under their patronage to go out to the many provinces and teach doctors advanced methods of healing that wed alkahestry and your western alchemy. Mei was at the core of the primary teaching group, and it’s quickly raised the clan’s esteem in the public eye, all in a very short amount of time. I believe that they’re planning to try and elevate themselves to a major clan status, and it’s my hope to provide assistance in their goals, so that they might help me eventually. I have no doubt that the Chan could bring in other small clans to my side of things when the final decision of naming an heir must be made. For now, none of the other larger families have noticed the Chan’s success lately, since clans rise and fall with such regularity that there’s no reason to even think they can create a large power base.

The second month of my return saw me summoned before the emperor of Xing himself. His ill health didn’t prevent him from sitting at a table with me, alone, and asking every question he could of my adventures in your country, and of the Philosopher’s Stone. Of the stone itself he asked, “Did you learn of the exact process to create it?”

To which I replied, “Yes.”

“Can it be recreated in Xing?”

“Yes,” I said. “But it would be a great undertaking, and the stamina required for it is truly draining. Both physical and mental.”

“I see. But we have the resources in place for it?”

I hesitated, then nodded my head. “Yes. I believe so.”

“And you will not tell me the specifics.”

“No, I will not.”

I expected a reprimand, but instead I caused him to laugh. A tiny, weak one, but a laugh none the less, as if understanding that there was no reason for a young man to give an old one the key to immortality. Not when the young one wishes to have his throne. When I spoke with Mei the next day, she had apparently had the same exact conversation, up to and including refusing to give him the specifics of how to create another stone. I expected immediate repercussions for withholding information, but they’ve yet to come, even two months later.

After that meeting, the other clans began to circle my own like hawks. Everyone could guess why I had spoken with the emperor in private, and since I had the secret to immortality, then I was likely a potential heir if not _the_ potential heir, beating out all others before they even got a chance. I had no doubt that the families would want to size me up either to take me down or to win my favor for the future, so I decided to do something unexpected: I asked each and every house to come to my own home and have dinner, or else if they’d be willing to host me so that I might tell them stories of the west. Five days of the week, I had feasts either at their homes or my own, regaling them with stories of the west (I promise that you came off quite well) and sampling all the food their cooks had to offer. I only recently finished the work, and in addition to giving me a very full belly, it’s given me an idea of which clans will support me instantly, and who I’ll need to win over. Right now I know I have the support of the Chan clan, along with the seven clans that they associate with in business and other matters. I only needed to speak to them and promise to continue kind treatment to ensure loyalty. And all of that because of running into Mei in Amestris. 

Unsurprisingly, the major families all have their doubts about me, and they have a number of allies behind them. If I can win the major families, then I can win the ones that follow their stances, and that will help me make my case before the emperor that I should have the crown. For now, I am focusing on gaining the support of the Shen, and will proceed from there. I expect to speak with them very soon.

Lan Fan is also well, thank you for asking. We buried Fu’s body first thing when we returned to Xing, and he is very much at peace. She’s recovering from the loss, and is looking forward to the future perhaps more than I am. I trust that you and yours are well, and that you’ll inform me if they aren’t.

Before I seal this: don’t worry if your replies are delayed, or if messages seem to take forever to get to me. The desert isn’t very easy to cross, and because of that the messengers charge very high rates. 

-Ling

***

30 June, 1915

Your last letter was waterlogged, so if I miss anything, it is because the ink was smeared and impossible to read. With that said, I am glad to hear that the reconstruction efforts in Central are continuing to go well. I can’t say I’m surprised that the military headquarters were the first to be seen to and that you’re only just now getting to the public areas impacted, but at least it’s gotten started. 

I am glad to hear about your friend’s continued recovery regarding his legs. I don’t imagine he’ll be in the service again (will he?) but maybe that’s to your advantage in the future. How much longer until they’re considered completely healed? Or is this like automail where it’ll work, but nothing’ll be _quite_ the same as before?

As for things on my end: I am pleased to say that the Wu clan and I have come to an agreement of sorts, after one very long meeting. Their daughter by the emperor, Fāng, decided to drop by very unexpectedly after my dinner tour/sit down with each clan, draped herself over my furniture, and called for tea as if she she had always lived in my house. I cannot compare her with anything but a cat, not only due to her enjoyment in taking up as much room as humanly possible, but also because of her clear predatory instinct that shines through her most elegant lounging.

We spoke the basic formalities while we waited for tea, mostly asking after parents and talking about the weather, all the things you’d do back in Amestris. After the tea was served to us, Fāng threw off every pretense of her visit being a friendly one. She cradled her cup like the prop it was, and turned her razor sharp gaze to me.

“You spoke with the emperor about the results of your trip west, did you not?”

“Yes. But you asked me this when you invited me to dinner last month.”

“That’s true,” she replied, swirling the cup in her hand. Steam was still coming off it. “But you never said what it was you wished from my family in order to support your being crowned. You just let us talk at you, all while saying nothing.”

The directness was both refreshing and unexpected. I sipped my tea. “That is true. I needed to learn how things had changed in my absence. Your family was very kind to tell me how the harvests have been since I was last in Xing. I hadn’t intended to ask for support at that point in time.”

“And now?” Fāng asked.

“Well,” I replied, considering. “I know that if I upset your family, I bar food from most of the nation, thus making your family’s support absolutely essential in a peaceful and prosperous reign.”

Fāng smiled at me, but it wasn’t a smile of kindness. More like a reminder she had teeth, and the only reason she wasn’t baring them was because I had just admitted how essential her family was and is to me. “Exactly so.”

I continued, saying, “There are many things I could do in my new position that would benefit yours. I know that you’ve been in need of several new bridges around the farming lands you administer and even more repaired, with none of that seen to because the emperor’s cabinet has focused its attentions elsewhere.”

“The cabinet wants to serve its own interests, after all,” Fāng completed pleasantly. “You’d begin with bridges?”

“I see no reason to simply stop there. Developing more roads would ensure greater trade in the country, and if we could plan more direct routes in and out of the south--”

The smile grew. I didn’t have her in that moment, not _entirely_ , but it was a start, and the idea of permitting a part of the Wu clan to be involved with planning a new system of roads, further developing agricultural trade, and overseeing transportation under the Yao clan’s time in power seemed a fair enough proposal that Fāng departed hours later, pleased with preliminary agreements. The closest possible position to what I suggested we put in place is currently held by a personal favourite of the emperor rather than any particular clan, which was the sole reason I was willing to give the Wu clan the potential power to dictate a large part of trade, and I don’t believe the Wu would be terribly afraid to expand into Amestris if things seemed viable. The Wu would also be very helpful with managing budgets on all levels of government, given the fact that they’re often consulted by the Zhao for a budget in investing in new weapon technology. (Plus some general management issues that everyone knows about but never discusses.)

It was with luck that the Chan clan’s elder visited a week after. He hadn’t heard of the preliminary agreement I made with the Wu - this paper is the first to know, and you the second - but he had spoken to several of the more minor clans who had begun to debate among themselves which son or daughter they might put forward as an heir. I should note here and now that the infighting of clans isn’t quite as straightforward as everyone deciding “it should be _my_ child.” Clans are wise enough to understand that some people are ill suited for certain jobs, emperorship among them, and that often it comes down to a group of say, ten clans caught between two heirs they’d like to put forward. Ultimately, it means that among the fifty of us, there are about ten to fifteen potential emperors put forward as the sitting emperor declines in health, and from that selection, the emperor must decide who is given the crown.

Anyway, the Chan elder had sat down with each of the two potential candidates from the minor clans I mentioned, and spoken to them plainly. As it turned out, neither of them had any particular ambition to be emperor. One wanted to simply watch everything unfold and write of it, and the other was all of five years old, put forward so that his clan might pick an elder to serve as regent. 

My support currently stands at at eighteen of fifty, including my own clan and the Chan. You know as well as I do that it isn’t much, but it means I have a wealth of talent to draw on now and I can create specific plans that speak to leadership and vision, with people who’d make things happen.

It’s interesting how tedious all of this organizing is. Certainly it isn’t as adventurous as your country.

-Ling

P.S. I must also say, finding a chimera with camel-like properties to take care of letter delivery was a particular stroke of genius.

***

22 October, 1915

The fact you sent two letters telling me of Amestris’ good fortune says everything about how well things are in your country and how busy I am in my own. I cannot say that your letter contains any bad news, but it sounds as if you are about to be overwhelmed with an overabundance of projects for your military to manage. Alchemy research funding, using Briggs to test out new equipment in extremes, you starting to move from planning with the Ishvalan recovery to actually putting it into place (I have some thoughts on the problems you wrote about, see below), and _all_ of that with no major conspiracy at the center. That’s impressive for such a short span of time, never mind the smaller things you mentioned in your last letter. No part of me is surprised that one of your own was promoted to captain, and I’m sure you had a spark of pride in the accomplishment. I’m also not surprised to hear that your lieutenant's dog has been afforded a military rank now. He seems a constant enough fixture. 

Anyway, as for your notes about seeing more Xing visitors in the capital: I believe those would be the Chan clan and the doctors they’ve been training, and I actually think I owe you an apology for not alerting you to the fact they’d be in the country at some point soon. Mei threw the idea at me around July, when she asked me if it might be advisable to visit again.

“And do what?” I had asked. 

“Well, I was thinking of checking on a few friends.”

A few friends could have referred to anyone, but there was a tint of red on her cheeks that made it obvious that there was someone specific she wanted to visit. I couldn’t really argue it, so I shrugged. “Maybe some of the researchers could benefit from learning more about western alchemy.”

Which is all to say: that is why you have Xingese researchers in your military libraries right now. They’ve written to me saying that they are being treated well, but I thought that you might be wondering what exactly their goal was in all the research. I’m actually curious to know what your countrymen think of having such foreign guests, in case of any tensions that might arise in the future.

Mei’s clan managed well in her absence, and played her departure as something be proud of. After all, their daughter, the child of the emperor, was (and is) continuing to expand Xing’s renown in other countries and to work towards ensuring that even foreigners knew of our might. The clan’s approach actually made me pause my own ambition, mostly so they could expand their own renown before I continued to work on my own goals. I use the time to talk policy with my current supporters, and the Wu are proving very interested in Amestrian culture.

At any rate, the Chan excelled once all eyes turned to them, and they flourished through the summer months. A sudden blight in the south that threatened production of grain, and it was through their skills with alkahestry and alchemy that they were able to heal not people, but the plants themselves, and ensure that no disaster would leave thousands hungry in the cold months.

It’s all but made them the heroes of our people, and the Wu have been happy to lend their weight to the Chan. It’s the Wu’s hope that future blights and other harm to crops can be prevented with the Chan clan’s work, and because of the Chan’s work, the Wu finally committed to giving me their full support, along with the loyalty of the lesser clans that they are allies with. 

Unfortunately for me, the other major clans are still skeptical of my desire to rule. I think I mentioned, a very long time ago, that I wanted to try and get the support of the Shen due to their social standing. I had planned to open talks with them in late August, but that all went out the window at the start of the month when their son Bao found me and Lan Fan sitting together in the imperial gardens. Bao asked to sit with us, and the three of us talked for a long time about everything and nothing. A vast contrast to the Wu and their directness, and moreover, a style of the clan. The Shen make connections without anyone ever realizing it.

“You’ve heard a lot about Amestris’ fortunes then,” I said mildly, after he gave me an update on the Ishval recovery that was surprisingly close to yours. “I’m surprised that you can receive news so fast.”

Bao inclined his head. “It’s one of the reasons we’re so fortunate to hold the position we do.”

“And you’re the envy of everyone for it.”

“It’s also why the Shen and the families that associate with us are pushing for me to take the throne next.”

“Understandably so,” I agreed. And I can’t fault the choice, not really. Having an emperor who is skilled with gathering information and knowing how to use it is what makes a _great_ emperor, and I don’t doubt that Bao could get the support I have in a fraction of the time I’ve taken. I said exactly that to his face, causing him to laugh. 

“Lucky for you, the emperor’s not in a hurry to decide. For whatever it’s worth, the plans I’ve overheard you making are very wise ones,” Bao said. “I don’t agree with them all, but they show compassion.”

This time, I inclined my head. “Thank you. That’s very high praise.”

“I don’t give it lightly.”

“I know,” I said. “I have to ask though, since you know these things well. How many will vie for the crown?”

“Three or four this time around,” Bao said, not even stopping to think. Lan Fan seemed surprised he knew so readily, but I wasn’t at all. “You and I are the strongest contenders, but if the Zhao offer their son, then we may scramble for the support of undecided families. A fourth could come from the families who haven’t pledged support to anyone yet and wish to offer their own son or daughter, but it’d be very unlikely that they’d get much support outside of their immediate allies.”

“That makes sense,” I said. “The great clans have spoken for most, and the Chan have gathered those that might otherwise squabble.”

“They have. And they’ve done amazingly well since their daughter’s come home. You were clever to make allies of the Chan and let them rise on their own merits.”

“I imagine they might one day become one of the major clans, if they continue as they are now.”

“You and I imagine the same thing,” he agreed. “And it’d diversify those that sit at the top. I welcome it, personally.”

He was about to say more when a page came running into the little spot of shady grass we called ours, and said that Bao was being asked for by a particular council. The name of the council wasn’t said to me, and I did not bother to ask. Bao departed with a brief bow, leaving myself and Lan Fan to try and make sense of what had just happened. 

As of writing this now, the Zhao haven’t put forth any other potential candidates for emperor, but they also haven’t voiced their support for anyone else. The lack of support for another has all of us thinking they’ll put up their candidate soon, and the longer they stall, the better for myself.

As far as the topic of Isvhal goes, I’m sorry to hear about all the roadblocks that the recovery is presenting now. I mean, naturally enough there are going to be some Isvhalans who won’t trust you or your government in making amends for that war. It’s still fresh in their minds, even with the council of Ishvalan advisers. I’m sure that the events in Central have been distorted as an example of government incompetence and therefore, all the more reason that you shouldn’t be trusted. Airing plans of heavy investment in the region isn’t going to do you any good either - it makes it seem as if this whole venture is on behalf of the government and its desire to dictate regional policies, rather than genuinely make amends for what happened.

Your remark about agriculture does intrigue me though, and maybe that’s the better angle to work on? Don’t invest in trade, invest in making their people capable of gaining their own wealth through their own means. Surely there must be innovations in farming that your government could assist the Ishvalans in learning to master, like irrigation systems, in order to help them grow an economy that can, at the very least, feed itself. Trade with Xing can come later, after they feel confident and ready.

Also, the chimera messenger will want extra this time around. It’s getting colder at nights, and winter’ll be upon the country soon. Then again, I expect the considerable paperwork you’ll be inundated with will slow your letter writing pace down to match mine, saving the poor man from making too many trips in the cold.

-Ling

***

2 January, 1916

Your winter sounds very bitter this year, all the worse for the water pipes in the Central building being frozen and it being unsafe to use your alchemy in order to fix the problem. I assume that you’ve lit enough fires in the office in the past that one more is no odd occurrence, and I can only hope that you continue to keep yourself warm. If not, perhaps your lieutenant's dog can sit on your lap? He might be a bit big, but he’d certainly be warm.

As I’m writing this, the emperor’s health has taken a sudden turn for the worse. About a week ago, he complained of a scratchy throat. The next day, his nose was snuffly. Three days ago, he began to run fever, and his doctors all claim it to be a very, very high one. The Chan clan has been asked to call all doctors back to aid the emperor, and they are working day and night in order to fill that command. They’ve yet to give a prognosis, but I’ve heard everything from “it will pass” to “well perhaps it’s a poisoning to force the matter of succession.” The latter will do myself and Bao no good, but that may be the intent if this is indeed an attempt on the emperor’s life.

All of this came just days after the Zhao clan named their son by the emperor, Wěi, as the heir they would support to take the emperor’s throne. He has sensed that the timing is nothing short of ruinous, and so to his credit he has stayed out of the spotlight so that the Chan clan’s doctors can focus on curing the emperor.

However, he is a rash and war-like man, and while it is good in a warrior, Bao and I have spoken to each other and agree that it might not be good in an emperor. Of course he’s the only one of the three of us with military experience, leading Bao to joke that if you were to combine the three of us we’d make one wholly competent emperor. I think that was his exhaustion speaking, but I can’t find myself disagreeing with the statement.

I will write you when the emperor’s condition improves, or else worsens, as well as get back to you about the matter of the Ishval recovery and what the desert terrain is like in the south east. Please send my congratulations on a full and complete recovery to your friend - I’m pleased to hear his legs are considered fully healed, especially amid all the bad news here.

-Ling

***

3 February, 1916

This letter will be much longer than my previous missive concerning the emperor’s recovery, as what happened after became extremely ridiculous.

Last I wrote, I told you about Wěi being the Zhao’s choice for emperor and how he wisely said nothing as the current emperor’s health was seen to. Well, after the emperor’s fever was broken, his prognosis deemed good, and what remains of the man’s health returned, Wěi began to question the doctors about the cause of the illness. The truth of the matter is that they didn’t know - he could have simply been exposed to bad air causing him to fall ill - but the fever seemed to dip up and down when he was given water. That caused Wěi to think that someone was indeed trying to poison the emperor by paying off someone in the emperor’s household.

And so, simply through Wěi voicing his theory that there was a conspiracy to kill the emperor and begin the matter of succession, Bao and I found ourselves under investigation by a specially convened court made of legal representatives and members of the fifty clans who had been selected by lottery. After all, we had the most to gain through the emperor’s death.

I cannot speak to what happened in Bao’s questioning, but I can talk of my own. I was lead into one of the few courtrooms that exist within the imperial palace - most of them are outside the walls and in the capital city - a plain room, painted in sea blue with no accents. No elaborate carvings on the oak furniture, no embellishments, only a single table for myself to sit at and a long one for the court itself. Lan Fan was not permitted to enter with me - as much as she protested, and she insisted on being interviewed by the court next in order to account for my every movement - and so I sat at the table alone.

It was Wěi who sat at the center of the group - he lead the investigation and thus would be my primary questioner - and it was Wěi who spoke first, saying, “Do you understand the nature of our investigation?”

I nodded. “You believe that there was poison in the emperor’s food or drink, and that one of his potential heirs has done this to succeed him faster than nature intends. Because myself and Bao are both in contention for the crown, your suspicion falls to us first.”

Wěi looked pleased that I understood things so clearly and began his questioning in earnest. “Why did you stay away from the emperor’s bedside while he was ill?”

“Because there were rumours that myself or Bao could be responsible for the emperor’s illness, and I had no desire to encourage them. If I went closer to the emperor, I’d be further accused of poisoning him, if not outright confirmed as the person responsible for it. Of course since I chose to stay away, it’s equally bad.”

“I suppose it is. I know that your bodyguard will vouch your whereabouts, so I have to ask, are there any other witnesses that will give testimony of your location if we ask them to corroborate your words and hers?”

“Plenty,” I replied. 

“Excellent,” Wěi said, and it was impossible for me to know if he took any pleasure in these proceedings. He seemed grave throughout. “Could you start by telling me where you were two days before the emperor was taken ill, up to the point that his fever set in?”

“Of course. Please ready your pens, as I will give out many names.”

And so I did, recalling who I ate lunch and dinner with each night, trips I took outside of the imperial court and into the city itself, and for the sake of it, I was certain to include what food I ate each day. It was a flourish, but it had all been very good food I was treated to and I saw no reason to not include it in my retelling of events. Wěi looked impressed at my memory, but he hadn’t managed to advance in his investigation. 

When I finished my list, something that took me a pointed hour to ensure accuracy and that I couldn’t be accused of leaving anyone out, Wěi asked his next question. “Why will you not give the current emperor the secrets you went to the west to learn?”

It was an interesting time to inquire after the matter. “Because it was my decision not to.”

“That’s a non-answer.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “But if the emperor begrudges me the decision, he’s said nothing of it to me and has been slow to enact retribution.”

Wěi frowned. Other questions came, a few about the Chan clan and their doctors, others about minor details or else questioning my knowledge of poisons. It was the last bit of questioning that let me out of the proceedings, as it was clear I was an idiot on the subject and I wasn’t possibly responsible.

Two more weeks passed, and Wěi closed the investigation, saying that yes, he had made an error and that the emperor’s sickness was nothing but natural causes.

After that ordeal ended and the investigative team dissolved itself, the emperor summoned myself and Bao to a meeting. This was in his personal chambers, a room painted in jade green, paintings of great phoenixes done in gold leaf on the wall, and furniture carved with dragons snaking around every inch. We were instructed to sit, and then the reason for our presence was explained.

“Wěi has made a fool of himself in this investigation. It isn’t a matter of criminality, but he has made a farce of succession. I would like to know what you would do with him, if you were in my position.”

Bao and myself were silent, knowing that our answers would influence which one of us would be crowned. If permitted, I think we would have sat in quiet contemplation forever, never answering, if only to ensure one of us never got a head over the other. However, that wasn’t possible for us, and the emperor shifted his weight from one side to the other, making it clear that we had no more time to think. Bao was the first of us to give a response, saying, “I think it’s a question of who he’s dishonored here, and who should even be in charge of reprimanding his behavior.”

The emperor turned to Bao, and Bao continued. “He acted in earnest on your behalf, and in any situation besides a matter of succession, this error wouldn’t be scrutinized so clearly. Anyone who’s served under Wěi in a military capacity knows he’s a keen administrator, and this type of investigation would be routine for him if something seemed amiss in his usual domain. But we _are_ in a time of succession being a concern, and so his actions come off as overzealous and overeager.” Bao paused, looking to me to see if I disagreed. I said that I heard no wrong assessment of the matter, and he continued.

“If he’s made anyone look truly foolish, it’s his family. He was named a potential heir to your crown just days before this happened, and he went overboard in trying to ensure that his family couldn’t be accused of the same charges he leveled against us. His family should no longer name him as someone to support for the crown, and the emperor should stay clear of having his hand in how they deal with the matter, short of suggesting that the family take control of the matter and trusting them to do just that.”

Bao finished, and the emperor turned to me.

“My response doesn’t differ from Bao’s significantly,” I said. “I might ask the family to keep him out of public view for a while, but after an appropriate amount of time, I would then ask him to take a position within my administration. As Bao made clear, this is Wěi’s nature. He shouldn’t be punished for it forever, and such thoroughness could be an asset.”

A nod from Bao came with that, and he was quick to add, “I do think that’d also prevent any anger from Wěi in the future, as well as the Zhao clan. They are precious to us and to Xing’s rule, given their military esteem.”

The emperor looked at us both, thanked us, and then dismissed us. Bao and I could feel the emperor’s stony glare as we walked out, and once the doors shut behind us, we exchanged worried glances. We had either both given a favorable response, or else the emperor will go out and find another heir that gives the response he wants.

With Wěi’s current position, the Zhao clan still has to name support for one of us. Bao and myself have no idea which way they might lean, or if they’ll abstain and the lesser clans will do the same. It’s impossible to say, and that worries us both. Bao more, I think, since the Shen are usually good at predicting which way winds will blow. The Chan have said they’ll begin to work under the Zhao as military doctors, and we think that might begin to help them make up their mind. Even if it doesn’t, it will see healthier soldiers, and leave the Zhao better off for it as well.

I also did mean to thank you for writing in about Amestrian perception of Xing. I think that the whole ‘mysterious foreigners with weird traditions’ perception might actually work in our favor, although the perception that our technology and alchemy are behind won’t be an easy thing to overcome. Perhaps focusing on us having different angles of expertise would work? I mentioned irrigation in regards to helping the Isvhal region become less of a barren wasteland and instead capable of producing grain because Xing is _incredibly_ skilled in doing just that. Playing up that angle could do a world of good, and give our governments a chance to formally speak to each other, rather than just rely on the two of us passing letters back and forth over the desert.

As far as Xing views on Amestris, I have to say that all of your fighting and how we’ve come to learn of it gives your country a very barbaric personality in our eyes. Mind, that’s always been the case, since your history has all of the fighting ours does and seemingly none of the attempts to settle those wars as our clan system has attempted to do. However, with Mei’s return and her healing, things have begun to change _slightly_ , mostly because the combination of alchemy and alkahrestry works so well. Plus I’ve already told you about how some of the clans are intrigued by some of the technological accomplishments Amestris has to its name, which should bode well for our future. 

My congratulations to your promoted captain on the birth of his children, and good luck to you if the rumours of promotion you wrote about are true. You’d be going from what, colonel to brigadier general? I’m sure the ceremony for it will be fitting for such a long and grand sounding rank.

Finally: I know you said that Feury was joking about a telephone line being laid from Amestris to Xing, but perhaps we should consider that along with the trade route? It could prove to be useful for faster communication, as well as the safety of traveler and cargo. Would such a feat even be possible?

-Ling

***

~~22~~ 24 July, 1916

It was decided by the Zhao that Wěi would oversee construction of a new military base in the Jiang’s purview. He is long since out of the imperial capital, and in turn the Zhao have made it known that they’ll abstain from voicing any opinion on who ought to be emperor. As a result, all of the minor families under them are left to their own devices in supporting myself or Bao. The Guo clan has decided it will support myself, for reasons I don’t actually know. I only spoke to the Guo clan once, when I first returned from Amestris, and they had seemed disinterested at best. Bao I know spoke to them far more often, but the Guos have a love of politics mixed with the highest cultural events and no love for how the Shen rely on people of all classes in order to understand the movements of our kingdom. 

The Chan have opened up a small hospital near Wěi’s construction site, in order to both encourage the Zhao to take advantage of the Chan’s emergencing dominance in medicine and to ensure that there are no hard feelings between Wěi and myself. I believe that if the emperor’s strength endures for a while longer, Wěi will be invited back to the capital by the emperor personally, and no one wants the Zhao to be angry at them for a temporary exile-like situation.

Speaking of the Chan, I can’t say that I’m surprised that Mei took so very long to leave Amestris, even if she’s doing it temporarily. Thank you for letting me know to expect her, ~~I’m sure she’ll be arriving in a few days~~ She arrived as I was drafting this letter, and thus demanded much of my time.

She’s here for a few weeks only, to check in on her family since she’s been away, share all the research she’s gathered while in Amestris, and to check in on where I stand with the matter of succession. I gave her the basics, and truth be told, I think she only wanted the basics, because after I had filled her in, she asked if we (myself and Lan Fan) would sit outside with her after the sun set. Lan Fan and I agreed, and we all sat outside together in twilight, being caught up in Mei’s most recent adventures. Aside from her very colorful descriptions of Central (you people really took all that needed reconstruction work and made some nice changes to the buildings and streets!), Mei focused on seeing the Elrics again, of what she was able to bring back from the libraries, and all other things she experienced both great and small. As she spoke, I couldn’t help but think of the animosity that was originally between the three of us back when we crossed paths in your country. The conversation died around midnight, but none of us went to bed when silence settled. We waited for a while longer, enjoying the evening air and the fact that all three of us could be beside each other without feeling the need for conversation.

The next day, Mei asked to visit Fu’s grave. Lan Fan took her to do so before breakfast, and the two came back just as the food was being placed on the table. As we ate, I asked Mei if she could write a report on the desert and send it to you when she arrives in Amestris. I really do like the suggestion from your communications fellow that we should try to lay telephone wire between here and the desert in order to compliment anything that becomes a trade route, and this seems like an excellent way to begin the study in earnest. Mei’s agreed to do so, and she then asked if there were any remaining clans in court that she might personally speak to about lending me their support. I told her I wasn’t sure, but there were a few clans looking to ally with hers and learn more of the Chan’s skills in healing. So, she is doing just that in her month here, and then she’ll return to Amestris. I don’t know if it’ll be for good - I think it will, as she seemed distant whenever she spoke of the countryside there in the east - but it will be for a large chunk of time. I imagine she’ll even miss my coronation.

While Mei is busy with talking and gaining apprentices for her clan’s work, I’ve begun to sit and organize all of the agreements that I have made in the past. The matter of the Zhao clan being what it is, the issue of military support is now answered. The Guo clan and their family are capable of ensuring political support so long as I treat them well and don’t force them out of their current positions, and the Wu’s interest in economics and trade means that I’ll be able to start a reign out with public works. If that requires raised taxes after royal gifts from my coronation are no longer enough to pay for costs, I believe I can reasonably raise taxes and hear no quarrel from the clans.

I keep expecting threats, if I am honest. Attempts on my life that require Lan Fan to do more than stand around, or else more arguments about what I plan to do. But everything is either reasonable or dealt with quickly, or else I find myself thinking of my time in Amestris and everything seems so much less intense in comparison. 

And in all of it I also look at what I have and know it is _mine_ , and that the real work will begin when I must assert the truth of those words against people who think otherwise.

I expect either a quiet few months or several intense ones on my end. As far as yours go - I’m not surprised to hear that for a telephone line to be possible, it’d need to be underground to be safe from desert winds, and that that’d be an undertaking in and of itself. Probably best to put that thought on hold for now, and to see where the trade route gets us first.

Now, as far a your investigation into irrigation goes: it sounds like you found the basics and were able to put them in place in a fairly quick amount of time. I’m more impressed that you found enough Ishvalans willing to go along with the experiment, but from what you implied, that was really thanks to the Ishvalan elders rather than your own efforts, wasn’t it? The real test is going to be the harvest, but I also was looking over the plans and realized that there was room for improvement. I’m including some diagrams and writings from Xing’s experience in the matter, and hopefully they can be implemented over the winter months.

Incidentally, in trying to find this information, I did run across some very old travel writings of Xingese traders crossing into Amestris via Ishval. This might be a useful historical precedent for the both of us in helping to convince skeptics of our plans to have open trade between our countries. I’m curious to know if there are any similar records in the libraries of Amestris, if only to compare accounts. Your thoughts on how to present this information are most welcome.

-Ling

***

8 November, 1916

I’m glad to hear that Mei has not only gotten back to Amestris safely, but that she was able to deliver to you more useful information about desert travel then I’ve been able to give you over the course of our correspondence. I am not surprised that she’s decided to stay in the countryside, and I trust her to look after herself. However, if you could give me her address, I would appreciate it. Her family would like to know where she can be reached, if only for the peace of their own minds.

The information you were able to find out about Xing and Isvhal is actually a lot more substantial than I was expecting. (I expected no records or books at all.) I am also not surprised that the trade ended some fifty, seventy five years back at least, since the region is so barren now and there would be nothing going in/out of it _to_ trade. Showing that information to the fuhrer was a rather bold step, but clearly you’ve won him over with the idea that Ishval can be prosperous if you continue to support them. I’m pleased to hear the harvest went well for the first year of cultivation, and that the notes I forwarded to you are going to be put into use. Do you think that you’ve won enough trust from _Ishval_ to talk about larger trade networks yet, and re-establishing old ties? 

I think I said some time ago that the Zhao clan is permitting their houses to pick who to support independent of the Zhao’s decision themselves, and that the Chan made the decision to try and get close to the clan and therefore all of the other clans that are under them. They haven’t been successful entirely - a few of those clans immediately went to Bao’s side and others were won to it when he spoke of new positions of power to occupy within the imperial court and outside of it - but the Chan have claimed a fair few. In several cases, I spoke to the clans directly, and in all of that I ended up revealing a little bit more about the potential for trade with Amestris than intended. Truth be told, I’ve wanted to sit on the route we’ve been obliquely speaking of the past several years so that it could be a hallmark of my reign, but because many of the clans I was speaking to are involved in metal production, I began to speak of Amestris’ technology. Railroads came up the most given how much metal is needed to make the industry possible, and the potential to bring the technology into Xing had them firmly supporting me in the end.

I think that soon, all the loyalty I’ve won over the years will be tested. Last week the emperor asked myself and Bao to prepare our cases for our taking his crown. This is very non-traditional, as the emperor isn’t traditionally expected to entertain arguments for or against his decision on the matter of a successor, but I think that some of this is being done simply for his own entertainment. The man is old and doesn’t get out much after all.

Bao and I have ceased talking in order to prepare to the best of our ability. I don’t doubt that he’ll be relying on his connections, previous experience in court intricacies over the years, and that he has stayed in the country the entire time rather than running off to hunt after a myth that might not have existed to begin with. While I can argue for my success in doing just that and of all the plans I will enact upon being given the crown, that is hardly existing skill in statecraft and a vote of confidence. Only that I can negotiate and make promises to people - not enact them.

If it comes to pass that Bao takes the crown and not me, it is my hope that he’ll humour me enough to let me take some little project that can grow into strengthening ties between Xing and Amestris. If not, well, perhaps Ed will foot a few more bills if I come to visit Mei in Amestris. I see no reason not to _try_ , at least.

Anyway, I don’t know when I’ll learn the results of the emperor’s decision, or if he’ll keep us all on the edge of our seats for as long as he can.

You’ll know when I do.

-Ling

***

10 December, 1916

The emperor has died.

He made his decision but it will only be known when his will is read after his funeral. Funeral is not until the 18th. Any emperor would have to wait for the start of spring. A new emperor being crowned before the seasons renew themselves would invite bad luck on his reign.

-Ling

***

19 December, 1916

Coronation 11 April, 1917. Formal announcement to be sent to your gov’t on 1 January 1917. Reason given: I got the stone.

-Ling

***

12 April, 1917

To General Roy Mustang,

I am pleased to write you with the formal title of Emperor Ling Yao of Xing, having received it only yesterday. I know that I remarked to you that the reason that I was given the crown was due to my success in recovering the stone, but letters from the late emperor’s files have revealed that he permitted every single clan to write a petition in favor of their prefered heir in order to help him decide.

While it was the words of my countrymen that have brought me this honor, I owe you and your country no small amount of gratitude as well, as without you and yours I would have never found the secret to immortality. It is with that in mind that I would like to start government level talks concerning a trade route between our two countries, with Ishval serving as the primary port for Amestris as you have proposed in the past and have worked hard to make an agreeable prospect to the Ishvalan people. I believe that in addition to all the benefits of this trade network we’ve discussed in the past in regards to improving the economies of our two countries - as well as Isvhal’s - I think that with enough work you own rank will soon equal mine. Politics functions on equivalent exchange as much as alchemy.

A formal request will be sent to Führer Grumman asking you to lead the matter of planning, _along with a council of Ishvalan leaders_ , as this falls under the matter of Ishval’s recovery. I trust that at some point in our upcoming and extensive collaboration, you’ll come and visit Xing. 

Signed,  
Emperor Yao of Xing

P.S. I only used the official stuff to seal this and the formal opening in hope that your lieutenant will let me know your reaction to something so ostentatious. You’ll know when I’m being really formal when the number of other titles below my name take up a quarter of the page.

§

Riza hands the letter to Roy, who takes the paper carefully. His fingers trace over the seal of the Emperor of Xing, the wax cold to the touch.

“Well,” Roy says. “We now have a friend in a very high place. I think the trade route will come in the next two years.”

“A route, but not a railroad,” Riza says dryly. “You’ll have to expect five years to even begin construction, and who can say where we’ll be in five years.”

Roy’s smile widens. “Being able to speak proudly of bridging two countries by even faster transportation, and to speak of close connections to Xing’s young emperor who works so tirelessly for his people.”

“I’ll call together the Ishvalan council so you can start to talk to them about this.“

“Excellent. Thank you, Hawkeye.”

**Author's Note:**

> The references to Xing and Amestris having a trading line and Ishval having once acted as a crossing point between Amestris and Xing are details gleaned from various wiki pages. Likewise the matter of Roy and Ling being the two responsible for opening trade back up. I liked the idea of these two having more contact with each other because they're really the next generation of government that will impact their two countries, and them discussing how adventures go on for everyone else around them.
> 
> My thanks to S. and V. for beta-ing.


End file.
